The Snowflake Lobos will face off against the Mica Mountain Thunderbolts at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Snowflake is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They blew past Eastmark 35-0. The Lobos have beaten the Firebirds the last three times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Firebirds has come to flipping the script.
Snowflake's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Jacob LaDuke, who rushed for 95 yards and a pair of scores, and Brenner Green, who rushed for 163 yards and one TD.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Snowflake was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 322 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Snowflake didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Gionn Jones and Christian Smith.
Meanwhile, Mica Mountain got themselves on the board against Lake Havasu on Friday, but Lake Havasu never followed suit. They breezed past the Knights to the tune of 35-0. The score at the end of the third wound up being the final score as the Thunderbolts just coasted through the last quarter.
Snowflake better keep an eye on Jaidyn Crist. He was instrumental in Mica Mountain's win, throwing for 157 yards and three touchdowns while completing 87.5% of his passes, and also rushing for 31 yards and one score. Those 31 rushing yards gave Crist a new career-high. Kaden Watson was Crist's top target, picking up 58 receiving yards and a pair of TDs.
Snowflake's victory bumped their record up to 10-1. As for Mica Mountain, their win bumped their record up to 9-2.
Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground. Snowflake has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 163.2 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Mica Mountain struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 157.1 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Snowflake couldn't quite get it done against Mica Mountain in their previous meeting back in November of 2023 as they fell 31-24. Thankfully for the Lobos, Conner Hangarner (who rushed for 141 yards and a pair of touchdowns on only 15 carries) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
